Betting

Trout returns to Los Angeles’ lineup at DH and hitting second against the division-rival Rangers on Wednesday night following a three-week absence recovering from a right hamstring strain. The 34-year-old generational talent has delivered 17 homers and seven steals in 74 games this season. The most exciting development here is that Trout will be ready for next week’s Midsummer Classic in his hometown of Philadelphia. It’s his 12th career All-Star selection and first appearance in the actual contest itself since 2019.

Keaschall has made a rather seamless transition to the outfield recently and will receive his first opportunity to patrol center field with franchise cornerstone Byron Buxton on the injured list with a hip strain. The 23-year-old former top prospect has struggled to an underwhelming .255/.341/.347 triple-slash line with just four homers and 12 steals in 337 plate appearances over 86 games. The additional defensive versatility will go a long way to ensuring he has a permanent spot in the majors, but he’ll need to start making more consistent hard contact, which ironically was his calling card in the minors, before he’s an impactful fantasy contributor. He’s far too young for fantasy managers to completely give up on his long-term potential.

Mangum draws his second consecutive opportunity in the leadoff spot since rookie phenom Konnor Griffin hit the injured list with a finger injury earlier this week. The 30-year-old is hitting .305 (65-for-213) with one homer and 17 steals in 71 games this season. He brings enough speed to be a meaningful fantasy contributor, particularly in deeper mixed leagues. With Griffin sidelined until early September, a more permanent role atop Pittsburgh’s lineup should result in additional running opportunities and a steady stream of runs scored. He looks like a strong waiver wire target for fantasy managers heading into the second half, even in shallow mixed leagues.

It’s an unusual development to see Harper atop Philadelphia’s lineup with speedster Trea Turner receiving a rare day off. It’s unlikely to be more than a one-game occurrence. The 33-year-old first baseman has put together a strong first-half performance with an .884 OPS and 20 homers through 92 games. He’s headed to the Midsummer Classic, which the Phillies are hosting next week at Citizens Bank Park, for the ninth time in his legendary career.

Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough made it official that Junk will rejoin Miami’s rotation after missing six weeks recovering from shin inflammation. The 30-year-old threw 61 pitches during his final minor league rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville last weekend. He’s a strong back-end fantasy rotation stabilizer in shallow mixed leagues and gets a tasty matchup right out of the gate against Seattle at pitcher-friendly loanDepot park.

Jung takes a seat for the third consecutive contest due to an ongoing right knee issue. It’s within the realm of possibility that he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but the Rangers are probably going to ride it out for the remainder of the week with the All-Star break on the horizon. It’ll be Ezequiel Duran filling in at the hot corner for the third straight game.

Contreras gets his wish after expressing a desire to compete in the derby earlier this week. The power-hitting 34-year-old was added to the American League’s roster for the Midsummer Classic earlier this week. He’s been a polarizing figure, to put it mildly, during his Red Sox debut this season. He’s technically still waiting for the appeal process to play out regarding a seven-game suspension for his actions against the Nationals last week. However, his on-field production has been undeniable as he’s on pace for a career-best campaign at the dish, launching 20 round-trippers through 87 first-half games. He’ll be an underdog in the competition, but he’ll be highly motivated to represent Venezuela in the primetime showcase.

With the Rays throwing left-hander Shane McClanahan, the Yankees will play Max Schuemann in center field and have Grisham on the bench. In five games since coming off the injured list, Grisham has gone 4-for-18 with two doubles, a home run, five runs scored, two RBI, and a steal. He also has a 58 percent hard-hit rate in that incredibly small sample size, so he should heat up again with more at-bats under his belt.

Rangel was sent down just four days ago, but he can be called back up since the team put Lou Trivino (thoracic muscle spasm) on the injured list. Rangel has a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings with the Phillies and will start on Wednesday against the Reds.

Rodríguez just can’t catch a break. The 26-year-old had played in just 18 MLB games in 2024 and 2025 due to injury but had looked good since returning this season, hitting .260/.388/.470 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 35 games. He’ll now head back to the injured list, but, with the All-Star break looming, hopefully won’t miss too much time.